Aria's Story
by Musashi
Summary: How Aria Kessun.... Oh, can't tell. That would ruin it. Some violence and blood/gore warning.


Author's Notes: This was one of my first Pokémon stories. It started as a backstory for an RP character, and it developed into this. Enjoy. ^_^

When Richard Kessun married Anabelle Maison, both were already successful in their respective professions. Richard, 28, was a Pokémon collector with a small ranch on the outskirts of Viridian city and over 100 Pokémon. Anabelle, 25, was the daughter of the reclusive millionaire Douglas Maison, as well as a gifted scientist and chemist.

By the time their daughter, Aria Nicole Kessun, was born the year after they were married, the ranch had grown to cover ten acres, and the Pokémon population had passed the two hundred mark. 

Aria grew up taking care of the Pokémon on the ranch. Her first Pokémon was an Ekans hatched from an egg. Her second was a Dratini, also hatched. Later, her father gave her a baby Pikachu to raise, and a Chansey to help raise it.

By the time Aria was ten, she knew almost everything there was to know about Pokémon. She helped her mother develop potions, elixirs, and specialized Pokémon food and treats. For her father, she fed, watered, and helped train the ranch's Pokémon.

When Aria was thirteen, something happened to disrupt the semi-peaceful, comfortable existence she had known her entire life.

***~~~~~***

"Aria, would you hand me that pick, there?"

"Sure Dad." Aria gave the pointed tool to her father, who then used it to pry the compacted mud out of the hoof of the Ponyta he was working with.

"That rain sure was something, wasn't it?" Aria sat on a hay bale, looking out the stable window at the clear night sky.

"It certainly was. It's never rained for a full week before." Richard Kessun patted sweat off of his face with a cloth, then pulled his hat back on. He released the Ponyta's hoof, giving it freedom to run back out into the connected corral. He saw the young Ponyta's parent, a Rapidash, check its young one over before tossing its head and giving a relieved "Rapi!"

"How's Pikachu doing, Aria?"

"Its fine, Dad. It got jealous and tried to kill my lamp last night, but otherwise..."

Richard laughed. "Well, if it doesn't teach you responsibility, it'll at least provide a nice source of amusement!"

Aria giggled.

"What are you two up to in here?" Anabelle Kessun walked into the stable, wearing an apron over her jeans and shirt.

"Gharefin had mud compacted into a hoof. It was in too much pain to even walk."

"The Ponyta colt?"

"Yeah."

"I thought you might be interested to know. I just came from the Viridian side of the fields, where the Kangaskhan herd is right now. They seem to be a little nervous about something."

"Hmm. Did you see anything unusual?"

"No. They were just acting threatened."

Aria jumped at the sound of screeching tires outside the stable. Richard and Anabelle each paled, turning towards the door.

A single figure walked up, silhouetted against the bright glare of headlights. The thin, tall man stopped just inside the stable door. "Richard Kessun. Anabelle Kessun. So, you're the ones causing so much trouble."

Richard grabbed his wife's wrist and pulled her behind him, whispering urgently, "Get out of here, get to the house, hide, and take Aria with you."

Anabelle nodded, taking a few steps backwards. Aria jumped off the hay bale to join her mother, and the two ran for the back exit.

The man in the doorway didn't move as they left the stables and headed for the house. "They can run, Kessun, you know that. They can hide. They will not be able to escape Team Rocket."

***~~~***

Anabelle and Aria ran to the ranch house as fast as they could move, hiding in the basement once they got there.

"Mother… who were those people?"

"Team Rocket."

"The… Pokémon thieves?"

Anabelle nodded. "They're after your father's Pokémon… and my new formula."

"New formula?"

"I created an elixir that can increase a Pokémon's defense to the point that it is nearly invincible, and that will increase a Pokémon's strength, attack power, speed, and intelligence four-fold."

"They want that? We can't let them get it!"

"I know. I've hidden it, because I was worried that something like this might happen. Aria, if anything happens to me, promise you won't let them have it."

"But… I don't know where it is!"

"That's the beauty of the hiding place… it's hidden—" Anabelle was cut off as an explosion ripped through the house above. A second blast followed a split second later, sending the ceiling crashing down on the mother and daughter. A large piece of plaster and cement hit Anabelle's head, killing her instantly. 

By reflex, Aria's fingers flew over the special lock that had been placed on her Dratini's Pokéball. She input a code that would keep it closed until she used the counter code. It took her half a second to push the buttons, and in the next half of the second, a piece of plaster glanced off of her temple, knocking her unconscious.

***~~~***

Upstairs, in Aria's room, a Chansey, a Pikachu, and an Ekans huddled together as the fire that was caused by the bombs surrounded them… All three were frightened, knowing that they could not get away. When the third blast went off, there was no more fear.

***~~~***

When the last of the living Pokémon was caught and sent back to headquarters, Tristan, the Team Rocket member who had headed the raid walked through that first stable, pausing momentarily to push the charred, bullet-riddled body of Richard Kessun into the shadows. He walked out and over to what had once been the ranch house.

The three bombs and the fire had succeeded in thoroughly destroying the building. Most of the first floor had fallen into the basement, and most of the second had fallen to the first. A few Rockets were digging through the rubble to try and find the remains of Anabelle and her daughter. There was a chance that the formula they were looking for was written down and somewhere on one of their bodies. 

"Tristan, sir!" one of the diggers called. "I think I've found them!"

Tristan walked over, his pace slightly less leisurely. He looked down into the basement, and inwardly cringed, although he showed no emotion.

They were certainly there. The larger body – Anabelle, he presumed – had very little left of a head. It had been crushed, and was now a splattered mess of blood, bone, and tissue. The smaller body looked to be in better condition. The girl had a few cuts on her bare arms; her t-shirt and jeans were torn, and she was bleeding slightly from a cut on her temple. 

"This one's breathing, sir." The voice of the digger who was kneeling by Aria's body was somber. "What should we do?"

"Is the formula on either of them?"

"No, sir."

"Then bring her. Perhaps she knows where it is."

"Yes, sir." 

Tristan walked away, motioning to a few more of the diggers to go and help. They moved past him and into the hole, carefully lifting the unconscious body of the child and climbing out of the basement with her. The digger that remained bent to pick up the Pokéball that had fallen off of her belt, then followed the others out.

"Tristan, sir!" Tristan turned, one foot resting on the step to the driver's side of his jeep. 

"Yes?"

"The girl had this, sir. It fell." The Rocket handed the strange Pokéball to the leader. 

"Thank you… Go and inform the others that we are leaving."

"Yes sir!" The digger ran off.

Tristan sat behind the wheel, examining the Pokéball in the light of the headlights. It seemed to have some sort of digital lock on it… He set it to the side to worry about later, then drove away from the ranch, the other jeeps following his.

***~~~***

_"She has a concussion… I'm surprised she's alive after what I was told about the explosion…" _

_"Be sure to ask her about the Pokéball Tristan found when she wakes up." _

_"Yes sir…" _

Aria couldn't understand much of what the voices around her were saying. One seemed odd, too deep for a human voice. She groaned slightly as a wave of pain washed through her body.

"She's waking… Sir, may I ask that I be left alone with her? She will be in no condition to have too many questions asked of her right now."

"Yes, yes…" The second voice seemed slightly irritated. "But know that we have a tight schedule to keep to."

Aria heard footsteps walking away, and a door close. The first voice spoke to her.

"Can you hear me? Nod your head if you can."

Aria tried to nod, but that sent fresh pain through her brain, and she cried out.

"You can hear me, then… can you try and open your eyes?"

She tried. The light, however, was too bright. "Too… bright…" she mumbled. The words felt odd on her tongue.

"Ah. I see." The light dimmed, and Aria was able to open her eyes halfway. "Is that better?" Aria looked towards the voice and saw that the speaker was a man in his forties, perhaps, and he was dressed like a doctor.

"Wha… Where am I?" Her throat was sore and dry. 

"You're in the clinic." 

"Cl… inic…? What happened?" 

"What do you remember?" 

"Taking care of… a Ponyta colt... then… nothing…" 

"Are you sure that's all you remember?" 

"Yes…" "Hmm. Well, you were brought in a few days ago unconscious. You had a concussion. I'm not quite sure what happened, and so it would be a tremendous help if you could remember." 

"I can't." 

"Alright then. I'll let you get some rest. Take this…" He handed her a small pill. "This'll help you sleep."

"Okay." Aria put the pill in her mouth and swallowed it with the water from the glass the doctor held to her lips. She then lay her head down, and was soon fast asleep. The doctor walked out of the room, closing the door quietly, then went to report what she had said. 

***~~~*** 

"She could be useful." 

"How could she be useful? She's a child." 

"First, she's probably the only one who knows how to get that Pokéball of hers open. Then, she was raised on a Pokémon ranch, so it's only natural that she would know a lot about Pokémon." 

"Would she join us, though?" 

"You heard what Doc said. She doesn't remember the raid." 

"_Enough!_" Both men looked towards the shadowed figure behind the desk. "_The decision is mine and mine alone, and you will not take over that decision!_" 

"Sorry, sir." Tristan and the other Rocket, Kent, said in unison. 

"_Now then…Before anything is done, I want her thoroughly tested. If the results are satisfactory, then we will see what should be done with her_." 

"Sir!" The two men saluted, then left the office. 

***~~~*** 

Aria carefully worked the tangles out of her hair with the comb and brush she had been provided. She skillfully avoided the bandage that was stuck to the stitched wound on the side of her forehead. Her hazel eyes darted to the side as the door opened. Doctor Wilkins entered and smiled faintly in greeting. "Good morning," Aria said cheerily. 

"I guess you are feeling better," Doc laughed. 

"Well, yeah. A few days of rest does tend to improve one's outlook and health." 

"That's it," Doc joked, "You can't hang around me anymore. You don't sound like a thirteen year old." 

"Aww." Aria pouted. "I didn't learn that from listening to you. My mom talked like that all the time." 

"What did your mom do?" 

"She was a scientist. Made all sorts of interesting potions and stuff." 

"Pokémon scientist? Did she ever work for Silph, Co.?" 

"Not that I know of." Aria stopped talking for a moment as she attacked a particularly bad tangle. "..Doc?" 

"Yes?" 

"Do you know what happened to my parents?" 

"Someone went out to the ranch you told me about… The house had been burnt to the ground… Two bodies were found."

"They are dead, then…" Aria closed her eyes. "Somehow, I knew.. but I hoped..."

"There's nothing I can say to help. This is the sort of thing you have to work through yourself." 

"I know. There's nothing that can be done for them now, anyway… so it's useless to feel bad." 

There was a knock on the door. A man in a long-sleeved black button-up shirt and jeans walked in. Aria looked at him curiously. Sometime in the past he had probably been extremely handsome, with his pale blond hair and blue eyes, but there was a worn look on his face, as if he'd seen too much death. Although no longer movie-star handsome, he was still fairly good looking. He looked Aria over once, then turned to Doc. "Do you think she's well enough to handle it now?" 

"Handle what?" Aria looked at them, puzzled, but was ignored. 

"She should be. Her recovery has come along quite well." 

"Very good." The man looked back towards Aria, then walked over and held out a hand. "My name is Tristan. I've heard some things about you Aria… Now, let's see if they're true." 

She shook his hand. "What are you talking about?" 

Tristan shook his head. "Get dressed and come on." He walked out of the room, Doc just behind. 

"But…" Aria sighed, climbed out of the bed, and began to pull on the clothes that had been left for her. Black pants and boots, black long-sleeved shirt and gloves, and a black hat on top of that. Even with the red R on the front of the shirt, Aria thought there was far too little color on the outfit. She stepped into the hallway, where Tristan waited. Doctor Wilkins was nowhere in sight. "What's going on?" 

"Well, Aria... Come with me." He motioned for her to follow, and began walking down the hallway. "You're going to be tested in a few different areas… Pokémon knowledge, athletic skill, strength…" 

"Why?" 

"You'll see. Right in here." Tristan opened a door and motioned for Aria to go in. There was a table, on which laid a few pieces of paper. 

"What's this…?" 

"This is the first test. It's a measure of how much you know about Pokemon. You have one hour to complete it. Please be seated."

Aria sat in the chair in front of the test and picked up the pencil. 

"Begin... now." Tristan sat down as Aria began reading the first question.

The final evolution of the fire Pokémon Charmander is: 

Her pencil moved quickly, entering the answer. This would be easy.

***~~~***

Aria wrote in the last answer as the hour was up. Tristan came over to pick up the test. He glanced over it, then slid it into an envelope. 

"Come with me." He walked away, and she followed.

They entered what appeared to be a gymnasium, in which a long, twisted obstacle course was set up.

"The next test is this. You need to try and get through the course as fast as possible."

"That shouldn't be too bad…" 

"…Go." Tristan pushed a button on the stopwatch he held as soon as she took off running. 

Aria went through the tires, then hand over hand along the rope over the makeshift swamp. When she reached the seven foot wooden wall, she jumped, her fingers barely hooking over the edge. She pulled up, her head beginning to pound, then tumbled over into the mess of tangled ropes on the other side. Aria had a few problems working through there, and then it was over. 

She sat on the floor in front of where Tristan stood, trying not to show how out of breath she was. 

"7:20. Not bad."

"Is that all?"

"For now." Tristan walked towards the door. Aria forced herself up to follow after him.

***~~~***

Lying on her bed in her room in the clinic, Aria massaged the area around her bandage, trying to soothe the pounding headache she had. Seven minutes and twenty seconds of obstacle course had been almost too much for her. Of course, Doc had said that the average time was about nine minutes. That had to count for something good in whatever Tristan had been testing her for.

She rolled over onto her side and slowly drifted back to sleep, and to the nightmares of fire that had filled her sleeping hours since she came out of the coma.

***~~~***

"Sir, here are the results."

"Interesting."

"As you can see, her speed and agility are above normal. Her knowledge of Pokémon is off the scale."

"She could be an asset… Have her assigned to Stealth for now."

"Yes, sir."

***~~~***

A few weeks later…

Aria looked at the uniform. She'd seen some of the guys wearing one like this, but black instead of white. So far, she hadn't seen anyone wearing a white Team Rocket uniform. Even Tristan wore the regular black and red ensemble. The female version of the uniform had a miniskirt and a short jacket… That wasn't her style, so she'd opted for the pants and longer jacket and shirt. The boots and gloves were shorter, as well.

She pulled it on, one piece at a time, until she stood in full uniform. "Comfortable… perfect fit."

"You're supposed to be a stealth agent, not a fashion consultant."

Aria spun around, narrowing her eyes at the young woman behind her. Slightly older than Aria, the woman wore the female version of the white uniform Aria was dressed in. Her hair was magenta and fixed into an impossible shape. 

"So you're Aria? Not as impressive as I would have thought."

"Impressive? I'm not supposed to be impressive."

"Welcome to Team Rocket, kid." The girl turned and walked away.

"..What a snob..."

***~~~***

Two and a half years later…

Aria looked at the photo Tristan handed her. "And these are…?"

"The girl is Jesse, the guy is James. They're an experienced team. We're moving you out of Stealth, so you'll need to get some Field experience. Hang around with them and you'll get plenty. But don't count on their Pokemon in a battle. Ekans and Koffing aren't exactly battling pros."

"Sure. I've got it covered."

"Good luck, Aria." Tristan walked away.

"Thanks. Jesse and James, huh? New life, new associates. Hey, he's kind of cute... I remember her now, though.."

Aria frowned slightly, then set off, walking out of Team Rocket Headquarters and heading for the last place Jesse and James were spotted.

To Be Continued.


End file.
